Rodgers: "We've Let Standards Slip"

While Brendan Rodgers insists he will work with over the international break to fix Liverpool's problems, he admitted that it will be difficult as he will only have around seven first team players on hand once everyone who has been called up heads off to join their national teams.

"We've got about seven players left because a lot of the group goes away this week," he said. "You can work individually with players [but] obviously there is very little team work you can do.

"A few of them are travelling quite a long way, like Luis Suarez who is going to South America, but you get that at big clubs. We have just got to go away and reflect because it is important to us to maintain the efforts which have been getting us results."

About the only players left at Anfield this week from Saturday's sorry showing will be Jose Enrique, Lucas Leiva, and Stewart Downing—perhaps the three least guilty of putting in poor performances in the loss to Southampton.

Still, if as many believe the problem on Saturday was less the players than Brendan Rodgers' team selection and tactics, just how many are left to work towards fixing the issues on display over the weekend may be a moot point.

Poor performances from disinterested players whose lazy play took victory on the day for granted just as much their manager's tactics did hardly helped, but if Rodgers is to spend the next two weeks working to fix things then much of his time will have to be spent reflecting on his own role in the loss.

"We've let [our] standards slip a wee bit," Rodgers admitted, "so we need to get refocused and I'm sure we'll see a different side against Villa."

It's hard to imagine the players, at least for the most part, won't improve on their efforts from Saturday when they return for the next league match. At the very least it would be difficult for them to get any worse.

Hopefully, too, a bit of reflection from Rodgers will mean an approach that puts them in the best position to succeed in two weeks when they travel to Aston Villa.

Comment: Join the conversation on the Liverpool Offside